There is a longstanding need for compositions and other treatments that will effectively treat infectious diseases. This is especially true for viruses, such as the cold and flu virus. In addition, there is concern that conventional antibiotics are losing their effectiveness due to bacteria mutation and evolution. These are special concerns for individuals with elevated risks to infection, such as individuals who are immunocompromised.
Upper respiratory infections (URIs) can be caused by influenza and multiple non-influenza viruses. In a small minority (<10%) of instances URIs are caused by bacteria. URIs also may be associated with significant morbidity and mortality (especially for influenza infections). In that regard, almost 20 influenza-associated deaths are reported per 100,000 people in the U.S., with 31 million hospital visits and >200,000 hospitalizations annually. Infections associated with non-influenza viruses are known to cause 20 million lost work and school days annually. The economic burden due to URIs ranges between $40 and $87 billion. While some prevention options (e.g. influenza vaccine, antiviral medications) do exist for the control of influenza, their efficacy and availability is limited and there may also be significant side effects.
While many solutions are designed to treat symptoms of infectious disease, many only mask the symptom by inducing an alternate effect—they do not directly aid in the body recovering from the infection more quickly, nor do they actually kill germs. Some homeopathic, herbal remedies, and vitamin treatments are alleged to boost the body's ability to fight germs; however, these have speculative and unproven results. Few, if any, actually kill germs. In addition, many compositions only affect one group of harmful microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, and fungi) leaving other groups unaffected. In the case of antibiotics, fungal microorganisms may even be caused to proliferate.